A Hard Grey's Day
by DrMcNeedy
Summary: Ellis Shepherd grew up in the world of the hospital, but that's not where she wants to be while she's home from college. She doesn't want to be in the place where everyone knows her name. She doesn't want to wake up at 6 am, earlier than any of her regular classes. And she definitely doesn't want to spend all day inside of a gloomy building. Not until she meets the new doctor.
1. New Beginnings

**A/N: This story is set 20 years later than season 14. The doctor's kids are all now grown up. Most have moved on from the hospital world, but a few are following in their parents' footsteps. I believe that Ellis Shepherd, named after her Harper Avery winning grandmother, would naturally become a surgeon as would the daughter of Jackson Avery, Harriet. This just a little taste of who they may have become as adults.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own _Grey's Anatomy_ or any of the characters/stories created by Shonda Rhimes.**

 **XxXxXxXx**

"ELLIS!" My mother yells at me for the third time this morning as I once again groan and roll over in my bed. I know if I don't get out of bed, she will be up the stairs in 2.5 seconds, but I am not looking forward to spending my first day of spring break at Grey Sloan Memorial.

Don't get me wrong. I love the smell, the atmosphere, the overall feel of the hospital. It's where I took my first steps and where I learned how to navigate the world, but it is not where I want to spend my first day off. My first day of freedom from Harvard and the harsh coldness of the Boston winter.

I grab my phone off my nightstand, scroll through my notifications, and open up a missed text from Harriet Kepner-Avery.

 _Where are you?!_

 **In bed. Like a normal human.**

 _ELLIS! YOU ARE LATE!_

 **Hare, you sound like my mother. I'm coming. Be there soon.**

 _You know Bailey won't be happy, even if your mother is Meredith Grey._

 **Yeah yeah … save me a muffin. One of the good ones.**

I force myself to get out of bed and grab the first set of scrubs I can find in my dresser. They're a little tight, but my good ones are still in the dirty clothes I brought home from med school.

"Mom, I'm coming! Harriet is already there with my breakfast," I yell down the stairs as I shove my hair up in a ponytail. My makeup from last night still lingers on my face, but it'll have to do. If I make my mom late to work I'll have to worry about more than just the death glares I'm going to get from Dr. Bailey. Mom's death glares and lectures about the importance of time are much, much worse.

After fighting traffic and listening to mom's rant about how she is less than thrilled to be working with the new intern class, I finally walk into the hospital lobby and see Harriet standing behind the check-in desk.

"There you are! About time, slow poke," she teases as she hands me a blueberry muffin and cup of coffee.

"Thanks. I want to hear all about LA over lunch. I need to hear about all the boys you've led on and all the celebrities you've partied with!" I excitedly gushed as I quickly hugged my friend and fell into step beside her, heading towards the Chief's office.

"You know I went to Los Angeles for med school. Not to party and have sex with every boy I see," Hare rolls her eyes at me as we climb the last stair.

"Okay. Fine, but I know there has to be a boy. Or there at least has to be some drama you haven't told me about," I sigh at her and shove the last bits of muffin into my mouth dropping the wrapper and coffee cup into the trash can as we reach Dr. Bailey's door.

"I'll never tell my secrets, and I'm sure you have lots of Boston drama to fill me in on too. Let's find out who we get to be with today. I'm hoping I get Alex or Jo. Anyone but my dad…" she trails off as Bailey clears her throat.

"Good morning, ladies. I see your mothers didn't teach you to be prompt," Dr. Bailey stands up from her desk as we wait patiently for her instructions. Even though we both tower over her, she easily puts us in our places.

"I'm so sorry, Bailey. Doctor. It's my fault. Don't punish Harriet," I stammer out, doing my best to look apologetic. I don't want to be here, but I also don't like letting Dr. Bailey down.

"You know I'm just teasing. I've missed you girls! We've all missed our girls. Now, you know today is a privilege. Your friends in med school would probably kill to be here right now, in a real hospital, seeing real surgeries. Don't forget that," she sets in on her lecture and I tune out.

I've heard it all before. I know it's a privilege to see an appendix removed or to hand my mother a scalpel. I know plenty of other people my age would love to be right here, spending a day with some of the best surgeons in the country, but I just want to be on a beach or at least watching something on Netflix.

"… and Ellis you can find Dr. Avery. Have someone page him." My name draws me out of my pity-party of thoughts. I hear Harriet smirk at the news that I'll be with her dad all day, but before I can object she is already out of the room and Bailey has returned to her desk lost in a stack of papers.

I shove my hands into the pockets of my pants and walk back out into the hallway down to the closest nurse's station.

"I need to know where Dr. Avery is at," I say to no one in particular. Maybe if they don't hear me I won't really have to do anything today.

"Well hello to you too, Miss Shepherd," one of the nurses replies as she looks at something on her tablet. "He's in room 317."

I smile at her and turn away from the desk. Being hospital royalty has its perks, but it also has its cons. And everyone knowing my name is definitely a con.

I figure I might as well make the best of my morning, so I pick up my pace and walk towards room 317 at an almost jog. I round a corner, almost there when I run straight into something or someone.

 _WHAM!_

"DAMMIT! Don't you look where you're going?" His voice booms in my ears even though he's still sitting on the floor. My eyes scan his face. He looks mad, but he also looks hot as hell.

"Um… I'm..." I can't seem to remember how to say I'm sorry or anything for that matter. The way he's looking at me with those dark eyes and that perfect jaw has left me dumbfounded.

"You're clearly not used to walking or talking," he growls as he stands to his feet and picks up the supplies he was carrying. "You must be one of the newbies. Just stay out of my way."

I turn and watch him as he walks away and out of my line of vision. _I don't know who that was, but I'm going to find out. Dr. McHotty!_ I think as I picture myself with him, in his arms, kissing that perfect face.

"I see you met Dr. Moreau. He's not exactly friendly," Dr. Avery's voice brings me back to reality. Back to the hospital. "Nice to see you, kid. We've got a consult for a rhinoplasty. You can watch and take some notes. Ask questions, but don't say anything stupid. Okay?"

I nod my head, but I'm already trying to figure out how I can see him again. Make him notice me. Make him see me as someone other than Meredith Grey's kid daughter.


	2. Like A Surgeon

Author's Note: Thank you all for reading! I hope you continue to enjoy my story and the journey of Ellis Shepherd.

A huge shoutout to DALLYsaysSHUTtheHELLup for always being the first to read my work. If you're a fan of "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton, you should go check out her stories.

Reviews are always much appreciated!

 **XxXxXxXxX**

The sun was unusually bright for a Seattle morning without a gray cloud in sight. For the first time in a long time, I noticed that the curtains in the consult room were wide open instead of drawn. The bright sunshine only reminded me of all the things I wasn't doing today like hanging out with my friends on a beach and sipping margaritas.

I shake my head and try to focus on Jackson Avery and his patient. She can't be much older than I am, and she looks fine minus a scar and a bump or two. I can hear talk about a nose job to fix the seemingly small bump in the middle of her nose. In my opinion, it adds character.

Plastics is on the bottom of my list of possible specialties. My least likely choice, ranking right above being a rectal surgeon. Why would I want to waste my talent on cutting skin or making some girl look like a beauty queen when I could be saving lives? For crying out loud, I'm the daughter of Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey! I should be changing the world. Not doing breast implants.

"Miss Shepherd, can you tell Hayden the possible complications of surgery based on her history?" Jackson's' voice once again interrupts my thoughts.

I pause for a second to think about his question, rattling off possibilities in my mind. I know this. Rhinoplasties are simple procedures. We've talked about them plenty of times in class.

"You might scar which wouldn't be pretty. You could bleed to death, but that is very rare. You'll probably be okay," the words spew out of my mouth as if I'm talking to a friend. I look up to see a horrified look on Hayden's face, and Jackson looks less than thrilled with my response.

"I can assure you that your nose will look as good as new. No one will be able to tell that you ever fell down a mountain after it heals, and I'll make sure there are no new scars. I've already explained that it will be a simple procedure, and you do not need to worry about bleeding to death," Jackson's voice is reassuring and wise. Something I fear I may never be. He makes it sound and look so easy while my words always seem too harsh for patients.

* * *

Dr. Avery finishes up with the patient and closes the door behind her so that we are alone in the consult room. I'm staring out of the window again when I notice him standing in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. My eyes find his slowly.

"What the hell was that, Ellis?" It's a simple question. The same question that I've been asking myself for the last 20 minutes. "A simple 'You might have scarring, but Dr. Avery does very good work' would have done the job. Now that young woman is going to be worrying that her very competent surgeon will screw her face up," he scowled, his voice growing angrier as he talks.

I bite my lower lip and glance down at the floor as I play with a lock of my hair. I don't want to say anything to piss him off more, but I'm at a loss for words. I know I royally fucked up in front of my uncle who, like the rest of my family, expects me to be great. Expects me to be a clone of my mother or at least resemble one of my family members (preferably not Thatcher).

"If I didn't know better, I'd think you believe you're too good for plastics. Would you have a better attitude if you were sitting in on a kidney transplant?" I know his question is rhetorical, but I actually nod my head.

"You can't be serious, El. I get to make people feel better about themselves. Maybe they took a nasty fall like Hayden did, or maybe they were caught in a fire, and I can fix their burn scars. People come in for all kinds of procedures, and I get to work my magic on them. It might not seem important to you, but to them it is everything. I felt like you when I was your age. But then I saw how special being a plastic surgeon can be," he said, turning towards the door. "Go find something to eat. I'll have someone page you later."

* * *

After I leave the room, I quickly walk toward the cafeteria, hoping desperately to find my best friend. I need to tell her about my morning. About the terrible time I had with her father, but more importantly I need to tell her about Dr. McHotty.

A smile crosses my lips as I remember his chiseled jaw and his scruffy dark hair. _Maybe_ , I think to myself, _I can ask Bailey to reassign me to his cases for today_. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping out her "girl."

Suddenly someone's hands are over my eyes. "AHHH! GET OFF ME!" I shriek, flailing myself around.

Harriet's laughter fills my ears as I manage to wriggle away from her grasp. I glare coldly at her, trying to act mad, but the silly look on her face makes me erupt into giggles.

"You're not yourself today, El," Harriet looks halfway concerned, but eventually she is laughing with me and pushing me towards the cafeteria line. "Come on, let's get fat and share stories!"

I grab a turkey sandwich and an apple along with a bottle of water. I push my tray to the end of the line and nod at the cashier. She, like everyone else here, knows me. She knows my mother or aunt will pay for my food at some point. I pick my tray up, scan the cafeteria, and finally walk towards an empty table by the windows.

"So, how was your morning with my dad?" Hare questions me as I take a bite of my sandwich.

"Oh, you know, just fabulous. You know I don't like plastics, and I felt like an idiot in front of his patient," I sigh softly and roll my eyes trying to play off how bad it truly was. "How was yours? Who were you even paired up with?"

"Amelia! She showed me some scans of someone's tumor, and I got to help her read an MRI. It was awesome!" Harriet gushes, and I try to act happy for her, but I'm honestly pretty jealous.

"So… when I was on my way to meet your dad, I ran into this doctor." Before I realize it, I find myself spilling the beans to my best friend. Holding anything back from her is useless at this point. She always finds out anyways.

"I'm listening," she stares at me as she takes a sip of her drink.

"I don't know much about him other than the fact that he's the best-looking guy I've ever laid eyes on, and I think that he thinks I'm a REAL intern."

"Okay… you can have your fantasy, but you know he's probably ten years older than you. He probably comes with some dark, twisty story." Harriet is killing my vibe, but I just roll my eyes.

The sound of phones and tablets dinging interrupts Hare's well-meaning lecture. Doctors and interns as well as nurses start to rush towards the ER. I've been around here plenty of times to know what that means. There's an incoming trauma.

* * *

As I follow the crowd towards the ER, I try to pick up on what is going on around me.

"Bus..."

"Crash…. Doesn't look very good."

"Teenagers… headed back to school."

The words come in choppy, broken sentences. All I know is that it is going to be ugly.

Naturally, I find my place in the group and watch as the first patient is rolled into the ER on a stretcher. It looks like a young girl, no more than sixteen. She has blonde hair, but her face is covered in scratches and blood. Her arm is bandaged to her torso.

"Gretchen Armstrong. Sixteen. Distal radius fracture. Possible head trauma. Let's stabilize her arm and then call for a CT."

The voice is one I recognize within a few seconds. The only difference is that this time he doesn't sound so angry. He's focused on his work, and that only makes him that much hotter.

I turn around to find him, my eyes scanning his face, his hands, and finally his body. He entrances my mind, taking my focus off of the traumas unfolding around me.

"I said, CALL FOR A CT!" There it is. The anger in his voice has returned.

I shake my head and then I realize it. He's talking to me. Well, he's more or less talking at me, but it is me that he is trying to somehow get to comprehend the need for a CT scan.

"Oh, um," my words come out soft, barely audible, "Okay."

He gives me a look of confusion, and then his attention is back on his patient. Clearly, he thinks I am on my way to schedule a CT, so that is what I am going to do.


End file.
